The Snowboarding Bunny
by MagicAlpha
Summary: Being selected to participate in the thrilling snowboarding tournament known as SSX was a dream come true for Judy Hopps. But the young and enthusiastic doe soon discovers that there's a lot more than just races and competition that await her. (Yet another silly story idea that popped into my head.)
1. Chapter 1

"_Time again to let ya in on what's happenin' here around the mountain. The spotlight this time around's on Judy Hopps, the first ever female rabbit to be drafted into the circuit that's gonna start taking place before we know it. Both her optimism and confident personality has had the media buzzing since she was selected to be a part of the circuit. Honestly, I think I speak for _everyone_ when I say that we're all_ _looking forward to seeing her talents out on the slopes. We'll keep ya notified with the highlights of the competition once it's underway, but for now here's the latest track from none other than Gazelle…"_

As the newest pop tune from the acclaimed "Angel With Horns" started to play for the umpteenth time, the young and enthusiastic doe took out her earbuds. Despite hearing it for herself, the fact that _her _name was just mentioned on the radio station almost didn't seem real.

Judy looked out at the mountain views she could see from the small window that was close to her. The striations of rock looked absolutely stunning from the altitude the large rotorcraft was currently traveling at, and the awestruck leporine's jaw dropped upon her glimpsing at them.

A chime sound rung out to her left a few inches away from her, and the gray lagomorph turned around to see the screen of her messaging device lit with a text notification. Picking it up and sliding it open, she saw that the new message that she had just received was from none other than her parents.

_Good luck out there, Judy! _the message read._ We'll all be rootin' for you the whole way through. Just please be careful out there, and call us when you arrive there safely. Love you._

Of course they would be reminding her to be careful where she was heading; they had just about every reason to be concerned. Snowboard Supercross was one of the largest and most exciting competitions of its kind, and it had more than its fair share of perilous moments throughout its years of duration.

This sport was her _passion_, though, and she had been dreaming about this moment for quite some time. She had been practicing and working for this for as long as she could remember, and now all of that dedication made her vision her reality.

Her head slouched slightly as she looked down at the little electronic device in her grasp, quickly typed out a reply to her parent's message and set her phone back down. For the next few moments, Judy just sat there in silence, bubbling with optimism as she eagerly prepared herself for the events that awaited her.

After some time had passed, a voice called out, "Hopps." Who had said her name sounded almost inaudible against the roaring sound of the propellors above the private helicopter.

With her ears perked, Judy turned her head over to where the pilot, a reindeer who held his job from the very first circuit, was seated.

"We'll be reaching our destination momentarily," he said informatively.

_Alrighty, _Judy thought, _it's t__ime to get out there and show 'em what ya got!_

After giving herself an internal pep talk, the doe reached over to the side and grabbed her snowboard—one with an eccentrically-colorful design on it that had become her most favorite possession. She put hersmall pink earbuds back in, the sounds of electronic music filling her ears as she slid her messaging device into her right pocket.

Once the helicopter neared its destination, the metallic doors slowly opened up. Judy, her snowboard now attached to her boot-covered paws, got up from her seat, gazing out at the thick blankets of white snow that surrounded everything within her vision. A large gust of chilly wind blew against her fur with much force.

Ready to take on whatever awaited her first in this year's circuit, the lagomorph adjusted the hood on the top of the thick coat she was wearing, and hopped out into the snow. As she sped down the elevated peak she was starting from, she couldn't help but whoop with glee as she maneuvered her way around some of the trees that appeared within her path.

_Next stop: The opening ceremony!_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Tonight I present you ****with the beginning to yet another idea that probably _no one_ was expecting to come about. XD**

**The game series that inspired this was another one of my absolute favorites growing up, and I remembered having lots of fun playing it. After playing it again and revisiting it, the ridiculous idea of combining the elements of it with one of my favorite animated movies just popped into my head. The image of Judy on a snowboard was just _too _fun to just ignore. XD**

**I know that this is kinda silly (more like a lot), but sometimes I guess you just gotta follow whatever the writer in you is telling you to type out. I hope that this was good start to what will hopefully result in something fun to read. :)**

**Anywho, let me know what your thoughts were on the prologue here. Your thoughts, whether good or bad, are always gladly appreciated. **

**Also, always, I want to give my thanks to every one that has reading the other stories I've been writing. It means a lot to know y'all are enjoying them! :)**

**'Til next time, everyone! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Time for an update on the weather: Crystal-clear conditions have been predicted in tomorrow's forecast, making it the _perfect_ conditions to start this whole circuit off right. The first race event of this year's competition will take place tomorrow morning, and we'll be right here to keep you informed on everything that goes on. Good luck to all of our veteran and rookie competitors!"_

* * *

After the extravagant event that was the opening ceremony, Judy found herself dying of anticipation for the event that would serve as the beginning of the competition. Although a small portion of her was nervous regarding how she would do in tomorrow morning's race, a large fraction of her thoughts remained optimistic.

For the time being, however, she decided to temporarily dismiss her concerns about the tournament. Nighttime officially the mountain and the slopes, and Judy currently was making her way over to the inn that she would be staying in throughout her time here.

Finally making her way up to where her suite was located, she unlocked the door with the key she was given and stepped inside. Setting the bags that she had been carrying down on the carpeted flooring, she decided to have a good look around her room.

The size of the room was a lot larger than Judy had previously expected it to be. The walls had been painted in a nice gray color, and an array of complimentary decorations surrounded her in basically every available spot. But the thing that had caught the gray doe's attention the most was a large window by where her bed was, looking out at the glorious mountains and the like.

Once she had gotten her bags unpacked, she decided to call her parents just to let them know that she had made it safely to her lodging. After she finished talking to them, Judy thought it best to get some sleep in preparation for the big day that awaited her.

The leporine laid down on the bed, now feeling relaxed as could be. As she her closed her eyes and slowly dozed off into sleep, her dreams were filled with images of what her mind thought tomorrow's big race would be like.

* * *

_**The Next Day...**_

Judy sat right at her starting gate in a small state of nervousness. Peaking her head upward, she could see the numbers on the giant screen that served as the countdown clock above her slowly ticking down.

The minute section of the clock went from ten to nine, and the doe took a deep breath and tried not to fill her mind up with _too _much agitation. She knew that filling her brain with concerns could potentially lead to her not doing as well, but the steadily decreasing numbers didn't help her out in the slightest.

"You're gonna do fine," she said to herself. "All you gotta do is just-"

"You got the jitters, too?" a voice called out to the lagomorph's right, making her jump a little.

Judy looked over in the direction of who had just spoke to her, her eyes seeing a red fox that was positioned only two starting gates away from where she was.

As he gazed back over at her, he said, "Ain't nothin' to be ashamed of. Even _I_ get a little bit nervous before events like this."

Faintly smiling back at the tod, she replied, "At least I know I'm not the only one who is."

The russet-tailed vulpine replied, "All of us here probably get a little bit nervous at times, even if we lie about it and say we don't. Just do your-"

"I'd say that it's best if that rabbit just gives up now," a female voice interrupted. "Would save her from some unwanted embarrassment."

The mammal that had thrown the rhetoric in Judy's direction was an arctic vixen, her paws crunching against the tall snowfall as she walked over to the starting gate that was in between the fox and rabbit.

_Well, _Judy thought, _she's definitely not the friendly type._

Although the words were supposed to bring her down or make her feel intimidated, the doe simply shrugged them off. She knew quite well going into the competition that not everyone in the community was a good sport.

Judy looked back up at the countdown clock another time, seeing that there now only two minutes left until the first racing event commenced. As she got herself situated and ready to begin, she started to see some of the other boarders that were participating coming into view.

The first competition that she caught sight of was a young timber wolf, a wide grin written against his muzzle as he snowboarded his way forward. Trekking a few feet behind that seemingly happy canid was weasel.

The next participant Judy saw was a polar bear riding a snowboard that looked like it was made out of some sort of see-through material. From a distance, the transparent board made it appear as if he were across the snow on nothing but his large paws, right up until he got closer into view and the illusion was dispelled.

Last but definitely not least was a honey badger. the stern look she was wearing sent Judy a signal that she came here to win.

Within only one minute on the countdown left to spare, all of the other snowboarders made their way over to their starting gates. When the electronic screen above them finally reached zero, the synth-based dance music coming from the speakers suddenly stopped playing.

Not even a few seconds after this happened, everyone present was greeted with the sounds of the crowds starting to cheer from they were seated.

Over the loudspeakers surrounding Judy and the others, a female voice announced, "_Ladies and gentlemammals, welcome to the first racing event of this year's tournament!_"

The shouting of the spectators got even louder with that announcement. Shortly after the noise had died down, the voiceover went on to name each individual contest who was present.

When it reached Judy's name, the audience's cheering grew louder than it had been for any of the others. At this, the leporine couldn't do anything else but smile and take in all of their applause.

The clock above them became illuminated once again, this time with only twenty seconds. As the number gradually ticked lower, the many voices in the crowd counted down alongside it.

Judy gripped onto the bars on the sides of the starting gates, her heart feeling like it was going to beat right out of her chest. In just a few seconds, the moment she had always been waiting for was going to be her reality.

_Here goes nothin', _she told herself.

In the corner of her eye, she saw the red fox that had spoken to her just a few moments ago looking at her with his head leaned over.

"By the way, my name's Nick, he said. "Good luck out there."

Judy nodded her head. "Good luck to you as well," she replied.

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

At the sound of a starting pistol being blankly fired, the starting gates were suddenly opened and all of the snowboarders started to make their descent down the hill.

* * *

It had not even been one minute into the race, and Judy was barely managing to stay in third place. In the corner of her vision, she could see the figure of the one weasel competitor that was part of the race. He was currently only a few spaces away from passing the doe up, leaving her in fourth place.

A red grind rail gradually started to come into view, and lagomorph quickly hatched the idea of using to help her gain a little bit of speed. She slid across it on her snowboard once she had gotten close to it, and her plan turned out to be successful.

With that weasel no longer on her tail like that, her mind went back to the solitary goal of simply doing her best on the slope.

A good distance away from her were the figures of the fox named Nick and that arctic vixen that had tried to throw a taunt at her before. But it didn't exactly concern that she wasn't the one that was in first place. This race was technically referred to as a qualifying race, meaning that it was only whoever came in dead last that would not be able to continue.

A jump started to come into the bunny's view, and she could nothing else except look at it with awe she continued to glide forward.

_Sweet cheese and crackers, _she thought as she got closer to it.

Compared to all of the other jumps that she had seen on much small tracks before, this one went down in her personal record books as the largest one that she had probably ever seen in her life.

Judy braced herself and got ready for the jump. As she freely flew over it and into the air, she did a move that she had been quite familiar with. She grabbed the front tip of her snowboard with her one paw, doing the move that she knew quite well as the nose grab.

The doe could feel a piercingly cold rush of wind hit her fur as she started to reach the ground again. Once she was back on the snow, she grinned the widest she ever had in quite some time.

"Woo-hoo!" she whooped, her breath visible in the cold.

For the next minute or so, Judy maintained her spot in third place as she simply navigated her way around the track, dodging an obstacle or to whenever it came about.

"Catch me if ya can, Cottontail!" a voice said from behind her.

Peering around her shoulder for not even a second, she saw the weasel that she had passed up earlier starting to pick up speed. A good distance away from him was the timber wolf and polar bear. The honey badger was barely even visible, and last place seemed to be her fate.

"What the-" Judy muttered out loud.

The gray doe now found herself coming up to yet another jump, only this one was _a lot_ less tall than the one she had been across. On the left side of it was another grind rail that had been painted in a shade of blue. And on the right side, a few spaces before the jump, was a sign with an arrow on it, pointing to what Judy knew was one of the shortcuts she would end up finding throughout the circuit.

The mustela cut in front of her, making a sharp turn as he defended down the shortcut's path with a laugh. He _believed _that it was going to get further down the path in a quicker amount of time, but Judy knew better. Having watched the coverage of this tournament's races from previous years, she knew that the shortcuts didn't have any effect, and sometimes even slowed down a mammal with more obstacles.

Judy did another grab trick when she glided over the jump, bending her knees to lift the snowboard behind her back and grabbing the edge of it with her other paw.

The doe could hear the faint sounds of applause growing louder once she hit the snow-covered ground again.

The sign illuminating the finish line in a bright orange glow started to come into view. With that, Judy swiftly made her way around the next few turns that lead up to it. Within her vision, she could see that the russet vulpine had just came in second. The unfriendly vixen had obviously been the one to come in first place.

As the bunny crossed the finish line and came to a stop, the cheering filled her ears.

"Well, it looks like the rabbit actually placed in third," the vixen taunted over the noise. "Quite hard to believe."

It was evident to Judy that she received some sort of enjoyment out of throwing remarks and the like at others.

"Hey, don't listen to her," a familiar voice said from her other side.

The bunny turned around to see that red fox she now knew was called Nick standing there. "You did great out there," the vulpine told her.

"Thanks," Judy replied, smiling back at him. "Who is that vixen anyway?"

Nick responded, "Her name is Skye. She's won first place more times than any other competitor in the history of this circuit. She basically thinks of this place as her personal stomping grounds because of that."

The gray doe nodded at the red fox's clarifying explanation. "I see."

She turned her head around to see some of the other snowboarders finally making their way to the finish line. The next one to cross was the timber wolf, who pumped a fist in the air and let out a howl.

"_Wolford in fourth place!_" a voiceover announced to the crowds.

_For coming in fourth, he seems pretty excited, _Judy thought. _I guess he's just really happy to be a part of this._

Up next was the weasel that had used the shortcut earlier. It became apparent that taking said path resulted in him being passed up by the canid and him coming in fifth place. Trailing behind him was the polar bear that was riding the cool transparent board.

Another announcement rung out around them. "_Weaselton in fifth, and Snarlov in sixth._"

Both mammals grunted under their breath, equally expressing their disappointment in their performances.

A few moments later, the honey badger slowly made her way down. Knowing that she was going to be eliminated from this portion of the competition, she was in less of a hurry to cross the finish line.

"Landed flat on my tail so many times, I thought I broke it!" she uttered to herself.

When she reached the end of the course, the speakers rung out, "_Honey in last place!_"

The honey badger face-pawed, knowing that losing this qualifying race meant that she would not be proceeding any further in the circuit.

Smiling ever-so-brightly, Judy turned her attention away from the others and listened to the crowds as they stated to cheer her name. However, her current moment of celebration only lasted for so long when another announcement came through, informing the remaining competitors that the next event would be starting in only fifteen minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

_"__Time again for me to bring you a quick update on the ongoing competition. Our newest addition to the circuit, Judy Hopps, just came in third place in the first race of the year. Congratulations to her on her great performance, and we're all lookin' forward to seeing how far she advances in the tournament when things get a little more challenging. The next race will be underway before we know it, so here's some more tunes for our competitors gettin' ready to carve it out on the slopes…"_

* * *

Knowing that she managed to come in third just fine in the previous race, she felt her previous unease fade away during the ride on the shuttle bus to their next location. The conversations of the other competitors behind her came to a stop when the vehicle transporting them started to come to a stop.

The moment the driver pulled the handle that opened the shuttle bus's doors, Judy was the first to grab her board, emerge from her seat and step back out into the frosty scenery. As she started to make her way to where their next event was located, the other five competitors behind her got up from their seats and started to make their way over as well.

As they arrived to the starting gates, the sounds of the applause of spectators getting closer as they did so, they could see that Judy already had a bit of a head-start in getting prepared for the next race. She gripped onto the bars of the gate in front, shuffling around on her snowboard a little bit with a now-determined expression residing on her muzzle.

The loudspeakers started to come on above her. "_Welcome to this year's second race event,_" an announcement stated.

A mixture of cheering and background music consisting of groovy electric guitar riffs, filled the gray rabbit's ears, making them perk up. The others all quickly took their positions at the starting gates that they desired.

The lagomorph gripped harder onto the gate's bars, and her tail started to twitch as she prepared herself for the moment the race commenced.

_I've got this, _she thought before the countdown began.

* * *

As she continued to direct herself down the race's course, she consistently managed to stay in third, just like in the event prior to this one.

The timber wolf competitor that was currently in front of her ended up making a sudden veer towards the right, and ended up traveling down a path that he presumed would be a way to pass up who was in first place. In the corner of her vision, however, Judy saw said snowboarder's pace slowing down after bumping into some sort of obstacle.

Her ears registered a small whimper in the distance that came from the canid, but she simply turned her head back to the snowy path in front of her. Now that he had been slowed down, the leporine was now the won to currently maintain a position in second place.

"Hey, rabbit girl!" a familiar voice taunted. "Don't go _too _slowly for me, you hear?"

Judy saw that arctic vixen that she now was named Skye grinding the rail to the left of her, starting to pass her up. All the doe did was roll her eyes at her little statement and continue to focus on her doing her best. She was in third now after being passed up, but that wasn't a bad number to place in.

The course eventually shifted into a series of turns that went downhill, and it could only be assumed that it had been designed intentionally to be a little more challenging for the competitors, The rabbit tried her best to navigate through them without slowing herself down too much. She could start to see Skye within her field of vision a short distance away from her.

However, the polar bear competitor, Snarlov, ended up swerving closely towards her, nearly knocking her off balance in the process, and taking away her third place spot. Passing him was the wolf that had been slowed down at the previous portion of course. Taking a quick glance behind her, the rabbit saw that the weasel behind her was now quite close to passing her up as well.

Judy and all of the other boarders braced themselves as they started to come up to a large jump. It was right when she was getting closer to it that the weasel that was only a few inches behind her passed her up, laughing as he did so.

The snowboarders flew passed the jump and up into the air. Skye, who was still currently in front of them all, showed off by performing a series of grab tricks while she was in the air.

Judy quickly decided to perform one of the tricks she was almost _too _familiar with, grabbing the heel edge of her board between her feet with her back paw. Some of the others did similar small tricks alongside her as they got closer to the ground once again.

The weasel that had been slightly in front of her, believing inside that he was all that, was doing a trick that involved one of his feet being taken out from the binding of his snowboard. However, he didn't manage to land the trick properly once he got closer to the ground, and a wipeout was what resulted resulted.

Judy and the others started to pass him by. The bunny started to lean forward on her snowboard, trying to gain as much as speed as she possibly could in an effort to catch up. A rail was coming up straight around, a few inches away from the middle of the snow-covered passageway.

She slid across it with much swiftness, passing the wolf and the polar bear that were in front of her. Coming up on her right was Skye, who looked a tad upset at the fact that the rabbit was getting closer to her.

At the next small jump, the vixen did an aerial backflip. That trick, although it looked cool when performed, seemed to slow her racing pace down. Judy managed to pass her up, and so did the polar bear gliding on the transparent snowboard.

The doe faintly heard Skye sprouting a curse, but she ignored and focused on the finish line that she was steadily approaching. Coming closer into view was the red fox that had spoke to her after the first race, who was obviously going to be the one to get first place in the event.

The russet-furred vulpine had crossed the finish line, and Judy did a short time after him. The bunny whooped as she took in the cheering once again.

The applause got louder once Snarlov got closer to the end of the course. The polar bear pressured the tail of his snowboard so the other half lifted off of the snow as he glided forward. Coming to a stop, he placed a paw curved slightly by his ear, nodding as he took the round of applause he was receiving.

The next one to arrive was Skye, who looked quite upset at coming in fourth place. "And I almost was gonna place in third too!" she muttered to herself through the crowd's ovation for the others, proceeding to place her paws over her face.

With wide, open-mouth smile residing against his muzzle, the timber wolf coming sliding through the finish line. Once again, he seemed to be in awfully pleasant mood despite coming in fifth place. If anyone needed the ideal image of what a good sport was like, Wolford was apparently the one to use as an example. He didn't seem to care that he was basically losing so far.

In dead last was the weasel, who, upon reaching the others, grunted under his breath and crossed his arms, the way kits do when they pout over something.

Nick said through the noise, "Congrats," making the bunny turn around to face him.

"Thanks," Judy replied. She started to walk up closer to where the fox was standing, that way they both could actually hear what they were saying to each other.

After a brief moment of silence, the vulpine stated, "I don't know about you, but I'm heading over to grab myself some hot tea now that all of this racing is over for the afternoon."

The doe looked back at the fox and asked, "They got a place here that makes it? Where's this at?"

"It's walking distance from where the accommodations for the tournament are, actually. It's a quaint little shop. You're more than welcome to stop over. They also got some of the best hot chocolate you'll find on the mountain, too."

"In that case, count me in."

* * *

_**Later...**_

The little establishment that the fox was pertaining to was constructed in the style of an old log cabin, complete with two rocking chairs near the entrance that gave it such a serene feel. And on top of him being correct about its quaintness, he was _also_ right about it being so close to where her and the other competitors were accommodated.

Inside the little cafe was a series of wooden tables, and Judy took at the one that closest to the window that overlooked the views. The fox that happily invited her to check the place out pulled the chair that was on the other side of the table and sat down. He let out a sigh just a caribou started to walk over to where the two of them were seated.

"Hey, Nick," the reindeer greeted to the vulpine. "The usual, I presume?"

"You got it, sir," Nick replied.

"And I guess I'll take a hot chocolate," Judy chimed in. "He says you serve some of the best on the mountain."

With a smile, the caribou nodded his head and said, "Comin' right up, guys." As he went to walk away, he looked over at the rabbit that was sitting there and asked, "Wait a sec. You're Judy Hopps, right? The new participant in the tournament?"

"Yep," was the doe's simple reply.

"I was_ just_ listenin' to the radio and they said about how great you did out there." His mind coming back to what he was supposed to be doing, the cervid said, "I'll be right back with that hot chocolate in a jiffy."

Watching as the caribou walked away and went to another spot in the small building, Judy asked Nick, "You know him?"

"I know just about everybody here," the fox responded. "If you need to know where anything might be 'round the mountain, I'm the guy to ask."

Judy simply turned her head to the side and looked out the window. A minute or so later, the reindeer came back to the table with a small platter that had two hot mugs resting on it. He set the cups of tea and hot chocolate down and walked away.

Nick lifted his mug of black tea after letting it cool down for just a moment, taking a small sip. "Refreshing," he murmured, feeling refreshment from the warm beverage.

Shortly afterwards, Judy to give the cocoa that she had ordered a taste. Lifting the mug up to her mouth and taking a long sip of it, she savored the best of what truly was some of the best the she had probably tasted.

"Wow, that sure hits the spot," Judy remarked with a faint smile.

"I told you," Nick said. "You're not gonna find a place that serves stuff as good as this anywhere else around here." After a moment of silence, he added, "Maybe I can show you some other spots on the mountain when you're done."

* * *

_**Some Time Later...**_

"I'd like ya to meet two other good friends of mine. If you're ever looking for new gear, these guys got just about anything your heart desires."

Nick stepped up to the door and held it open for the doe. The pleasant twinkling of the shop's bell rung above her head as she took a step inside.

Aligning the space of the store was a large variety snowboards and skis with an assortment of different designs and decals on them. On the other side of her was a nice selection of boots and jackets and other clothing one would need for this type of weather she was in.

Standing on a stool at the desk where the store's register was located was a fennec fox, his claws tapping against the counter. "Yo, Wilde," he said as Nick walked up to where he was standing.

"Fin, my mammal," the russet fox greeted in reply, walking up and giving his good friend a quick fist bump. "How's it goin', buddy?"

"Not much goin' on today," the fennec replied. "Just the same ol' stuff, if ya know what I mean."

"Yeah." Nick simply nodded his head. When Judy walked up to him after having a quick look around, he said, "Hopps, this is Finnick."

Finnick greeted to the rabbit, "Good t' meet ya."

The vulpine informed, "He knows a thing or two about snowboarding too"_—_he toned his voice down to a whisper_—_"but he's not as good at it."

"What you whispering' 'bout, Wilde?" the fennec snapped, having overheard the hushed words of Nick. "Ya know I can hear you; these ears of mine ain't broken."

"I was just tellin' her about how you knew how to snowboard. Was also gonna mention the wipeout ya had on that slope back in-"

"Don't you bring that up. You know _dang _well that it wasn't my fault that happened t' me!"

The door from behind the register (leading to a spot reserved for the store employees only) swiftly opened up, and a beaver wearing a red-colored jacket emerged from around the corner.

"Hey there," the castorid said to Nick as he walked up towards the register.

"And this is Dave. He's the one that opened up this shop." Nick pointed to the lagomorph. "Dave, this Judy Hopps."

Judy shook the webbed paw of the beaver, as well as the paw of the fennec fox. After meeting the fox's two friends that he had talked about, she walked over to a portion of the store that she didn't check out yet as the others carried on a small conversation.

In far left corner of the store, a small space away from all of the snowboards, a small television sat on a sturdy wooden shelf. When she walked closer to it, she saw that it was playing older footage from previous circuits. Although the television appeared to be on mute, one didn't need to have volume to understand what was happening on the screen.

Footage of a beaver gliding down a slope on a snowboard that looked like sharp log started to play next. It showed highlights of some of his best tricks during race events, as well as a snippet of him holding the trophy he had won at one point. Underneath the picture that appeared on the television, the title of "The Nibbler" appeared.

After that faded to black, the television started to replay what she had just watched.

"That was quite some time ago," a voice said from behind her, and she turned around to see Dave, the beaver she had just met, standing behind her. "It's been awhile since I hit the slopes and performed moves like those."

Judy looked back at the television and then back at the beaver that was beside her. "Wait a minute," she said. "You're 'The Nibbler?'"

Dave nodded his head. "The one and only," he replied with a smile.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this," the doe muttered, currently in a state of surprise that one of her favorite snowboarders from the previous tournaments she had watched was standing right before her. "I always rooted for you when I used to watch the circuits on TV. I've always wondered something about you, though?"

"What's that?" the beaver inquired.

Judy asked, "Why exactly did they call you 'The Nibbler?'"

"I was actually the one who came up with that nickname. It was just a funny play on the stereotype that we beavers always used to work with trees and wood and the like. It just kinda stuck with me and I went by ever since my first win."

"So when did you decide to open the shop?"

"When I decided to leave the circuit, I didn't really want to leave the mountain views behind. So I decided to open this place up for the new competitors to buy new gear and stuff. Seeing the fresh faces joining in the circuit puts a smile on my face. Well, except for that vixen Skye."

The leporine replied, "Yeah. She's definitely not a nice one."

"You got that right, rabbit. Ever since she was drafted and started winnin' the last few circuits, she's gotten to big for her boots. From what I heard about her, she had the same kind of attitude when she competed in skateboarding tournaments back when she was younger." Deciding to change the subject, Dave said, "I heard about how skilled y'are out on the slopes. I bet you're gonna do great in tomorrow's events."

Judy smiled. "Thank you." Upon hearing the sound of the shop's bell ringing once again, she turned around and saw the fox that brought her here walking back outside. "Anyhow, it's been _great _getting to meet you."

The beaver waved a paw back at her as she caught up with Nick. "You be sure to come back anytime you need anything."

As Judy walked out of the shop and back out into the snow, she looked over at the red fox standing there, grateful to find a nice friend that was also in the same tournament as her.


End file.
